MonsterTalk, a podcast co-hosted by myself, Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow, won a Parsec, a national podcasting award. The Parsecs are annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels. MonsterTalk won in the “Best Fact Behind the Fiction” category, for podcasts that “explore the facts that influence the fictions—the science, history, culture, and mythology that inspire these stories.”

MonsterTalk is the science show about monsters, an audio podcast that critically examines the science (and sometimes folklore) behind legendary creatures such as Bigfoot, vampires, genies, werewolves, and chupacabras. MonsterTalk interviews scientists and investigators who shine a spotlight on the things that go bump in the night.

The award was presented September 1, 2012, at Dragon*Con, the world’s largest science fiction and fantasy conference, held in Atlanta, Georgia, over Labor Day weekend. Podcasts are episodic audio or video downloads similar to radio programs but are typically independently created and produced. MonsterTalk began in 2009 and has an archive of nearly 70 episodes. The MonsterTalk podcast is available free via iTunes; to listen to shows or for more information visit www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk.

Previous nominees and winners have include Brian Dunning’s Skeptoid podcast, the Geologic Podcast, Skepticality, The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, and the Astronomy Cast. For more information about the Parsec Awards, see www.parsecawards.com.